September 28, 2009 - InspireHealth’s CEO and co-founder, Dr. Hal Gunn, was one of two practitioners recognized as “agents of change” in the revolutionary movement toward an integrative approach to clinical medical practice. The recipients have split the $250,000 Dr. Rogers Prize for Excellence in Complementary and Alternative Medicine for 2009.

Dr. Hal Gunn of Vancouver and Dr. Badri (Bud) Rickhi of Calgary were celebrated by their peers at a gala award on September 25th in Vancouver. 

InspireHealth’s program features a patient-centred empowerment model that complements the tumour-based treatment approach.

The Dr. Rogers Prize for Excellence in Complementary and Alternative Medicine is Canadian in origin, and is synonymous with exceptional achievement in the field. The Prize is named for Dr. Roger Hayward Rogers, a Vancouver doctor and integrative medicine pioneer who was appointed to the Order of British Columbia in 2001 for his work in providing non-traditional therapies to cancer patients.

The largest prize of its kind, the $250,000 Dr. Rogers Prize recognizes the important contributions of researchers, practitioners and others to health care in Canada. The biennial competition for the Prize is open to individuals who have made significant contributions to complementary or alternative medicine within Canada. 

Following a nation-wide call for nominations earlier this year, the independent jury found it impossible to put one of these agents of change ahead of the other.  The five leading international experts who formed the jury included, Dr. Joseph Pizzorno, ND, the CAM authority who advised both Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, and Dr. Simon Sutcliffe, MD, Vice Chair of the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and one of this nation’s leaders in the fight to control cancer.

“The Dr. Rogers Prize celebrates the foresight and fortitude of trailblazers in CAM like Drs. Rickhi and Gunn, who are at the forefront of the CAM movement in Canada,” said Dr. Anita Tannis, a West Vancouver MD who practices integrative medicine and spokesperson for the Dr. Rogers Prize. “These two exemplify the vision, leadership and integrity that characterized Dr. Rogers’ lifetime’s work. 

About Dr. RogersDr. Roger Hayward Rogers was appointed to the Order of British Columbia in 2001, in recognition of his ground-breaking work providing non-traditional therapies for cancer patients. Dr. Rogers received his Doctorate of Medicine from the University of British Columbia and worked in Family Practice for more than thirty years. He also taught medical students at UBC, where he served as a Clinical Instructor.

A recognized Canadian leader in CAM, Dr. Rogers began offering complementary and alternative treatments in the mid-1970s and eventually co-founded the Centre for Integrated Therapy in Vancouver in 1992, which later evolved into the Centre for Integrated Healing and today is known as InspireHealth.  The Centre was set up to provide treatment and hope for cancer patients who had limited or no success with traditional medical treatments.